Love and Betrayal Don't Mix
by Sharzade
Summary: Upon leaving the Wammy's House, Naru is sent to work for Near. They fall in love but surpress the feelings they have for one another. Matt and Mello come into the picture and Naru's world is turned upside down. NearxOC, MelloxOC, MattxOC some onesided
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclamer: _**I do not own Death Note or any of it's characters. This story is, however, mine. So is Naru.

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

Naru pressed her ear harder against the door. The voices inside were muffled but she could still make out most of what was being said.

"L…dead…can you…work together?"

She threw a hand to her mouth to stifle her gasp. So Kira had killed L as everyone had always feared. Near and Mello, who were in the room at the time with Roger, the headmaster, were L's immediate successors. The thought of them cooperating and working together, however, was completely ridiculous. She cleared her mind and continued to listen.

"I won't work with him, Roger!" Mello's sharp voice rang out clear from behind the door, "Near and I have always been rivals."

Another voice, this one a soft whisper, vibrated to Naru's ear but she could not make out the words. She recognized the all too familiar clatter of puzzle pieces as they hit the floor.

Suddenly, loud footsteps banged their way towards where she was eavesdropping. She scrambled behind a nearby plant just in time to see the door being thrown open.

"I'll make my own way!" Mello slammed the door behind him and angrily stomped down the hallway back to his room. Naru's breath caught in her throat as Mello walked by where she was hiding but he didn't notice her. A few moments later, Roger and Near also exited the room. Roger seemed frazzled and upset. Near appeared to be unaffected by the event as he twirled a stray piece of hair around his finger in thought.

"I would like to wait a while before going after Kira, Roger. It seems pointless to take over so soon. Kira is going to change the world whether we like it or not, so that change should take place before I step in." Near's cool voice hummed out.

"O-of course…" Roger stammered. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

Three years later, the SPK was formed. Near was the leader. The world had changed, some argued for the better, others for the worse, but it definitely had changed.

And now that the anticipated change had occurred, Near could begin his work.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclamer: _**I don't own Death Note or it's characters. All I did was write a story about them and an OC I made up.

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

Over those three years, life had changed for Naru. Things all of a sudden became harder socially and more demanding school-wise. Pressure was put on her to outdo her classmates. Roger kept telling her what a brilliant detective she could be if she would apply herself a little more. But Naru felt like she was already pushing her limits. Sixth place at the Wammy's House was fine in her opinion, but apparently it just wasn't good enough. On her 16th birthday, Naru made the decision to leave the Wammy's House.

Three months earlier, Near had left to form the SPK.

When Naru informed Roger of her decision, he insisted that she aid Near with his work. After much complaining on her part (she had wanted to just ignore the Kira case for the time being), she reluctantly agreed. So she packed her bags and was sent to New York.

It's not that Naru hated Near of anything, in fact they had been good friends for the majority of their childhood. Right before L's death, however, they had had a falling out. Naru felt like Near was blocking her out of his life and his constant cold demeanor didn't help things. Near had quickly become as emotionless as a brick wall. Naru voiced this to him one day and a fight had ensued. Regardless, they hadn't spoken since.

And now she was being forced to help him in a case she wanted nothing to do with.

Roger had said that it would be her responsibility to inform Near and the SPK of her arrival, but in the end she decided to surprise them. Why should she be kind enough to inform them that she was coming when she didn't even really want to be there in the first place?

A few days later she had taken a plane to New York, thus leaving behind the safety of the Wammy's House forever. She pulled out a piece of paper Roger had given her before she left; the address of the SPK was written in big letters. Naru immediately memorized it before eating it. Upon arrival she hailed a taxi and told the driver the address.

The taxicab pulled up to a large, boxy building with no real discerning features. Anyone not looking for it would probably miss it entirely. The building was windowless and the door was made from titanium iron as was the rest of the outside. Naru paid the driver before taking her luggage and walking to the front door. It was locked. A small intercom was placed at the side of the door so Naru pressed the button and spoke into the intercom speaker,

"Hello? Is this where the SPK is located?" Naru waited patiently for a reply, but none came, "I need to speak with Near -"

"Who is this?" She was cut off. The man on the intercom had a voice like iron.

"I'm known as Naru at the Wammy's House. I've been sent to work…for Near." She hesitated at her last few words.

"Hold on a moment." There was a crackling and hissing noise as the man walked away…or Naru assumed that that was what he was doing. It was impossible to be sure when she could not see him.

"Naru? Is that you?" Naru felt her breath catch in her chest. Those were the first words he had spoken to her in years. His smooth, calming voice still rang in her ears as she responded,

"Y-yeah…Near. It's me." There was a pause. Suddenly, the doors opened inward revealing a long hallway. Naru had to cover her ears as the door screeched open.

"Go to the end of the hallway. I will be waiting inside." There was a click as the intercom was turned off.

Naru couldn't help but feel excited as she made her way down the long hallway. She couldn't understand why. She hadn't wanted to come here to see Near…had she? She had loathed the idea…until he had said her name. Unfamiliar feelings danced around in her stomach, but she chose to ignore them.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: _**I don't own Death Note or anything to do with Death Note. Naru belongs to me and so does the story idea, but that's it.

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

Naru had reached the end of the hallway. Her hand lingered for a moment in the air before finally settling into a knock. After a moment the door began to slowly open and despite herself, she held her breath the entire time.

When Naru saw him she immediately relaxed. Near was always so calming, all clad in white, twirling a piece of hair around his finger. His eyes set on Naru's and to her unexpected amazement, she was reminded of an angel, pure and beautiful. All he was missing were the wings, she decided. As quick as the thought had entered her mind she banished it, appalled that she would think such a thing of Near.

"Naru. Why did you not tell me you were coming?" Near contemplated her from the doorway. Hearing his voice directed at her after so long made Naru's stomach flop over.

"I…sorry." She muttered, feeling lucky to have found her voice at all, "I should've called first. It was very sudden."

Near gazed steadily at Naru; seconds passed, his expression never changing.

"Naru …" The faintest smile played around the edges of Near's mouth, "Would you like to work _for_ me or _with_ me?" It was as if he was reciting an inside joke.

Naru returned his steady gaze and recognized the phrase. They had decided many years ago that if they ever were to work together, they would work as equals or not at all. This was of course, before the fight, but none of that mattered anymore, she realized.

"With you. But I won't take over for you or shadow you."

The smile around Near's mouth had reached it's full proportions. He had missed her and he knew it.

"Will you stay? I am tired of grudges."

She broke eye contact and pondered the floor for a moment before speaking,

"It shouldn't have gone on so long. You were just…making a necessary change. Detectives can't let emotion get in the way. I should've realized that sooner instead of overreacting."

"And I should not have ignored you like I did. I am sorry."

There was a brief but powerful silence as the words sunk in. The fight was officially void.

"Where will you be living? Have you made plans?" Near asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh…no, I thought…"

"Last door to your right then."

Near was still smiling and Naru couldn't help but love all the unfamiliar attention he was giving her.

"Thanks. I'll just go unpack then…when do we work on the case?"

"Soon. When you are done in your room, I will need to give you all the information we have gathered over the past few months. I will have to go talk to Rester as he has most of it on file…"

"Ok."

"…"

Neither one seemed to want to move; Near couldn't make himself close the door on her and Naru's legs refused to cooperate with her on the simple action of walking away. They basked in the glow of the awkward silence.

"I will help you unpack." Near decided suddenly.

"Yes."

They chatted casually as Naru put away her clothes. The subjects ranged from the Wammy's House to Roger; to the details of the Kira case and back again. Finally Mello's name randomly came up and Naru's curiosity got the better of her.

Before Mello had left the Wammy's House, things had been different for Naru. She and Mello and never actually exchanged words, but this small detail did not change the fact that Naru had a big thing for him. Mello would constantly ignore her since she was a friend of Near's, who at the time was his biggest competitor, but in Naru's eyes, no one could be cooler than Mello. Everything about him just screamed "danger." Naturally when Near briefly mentioned him in a conversation about the old Wammy's days, Naru snatched up the opportunity to find out more.

"Mello, huh? Is he still giving you trouble? What ever happened to him anyway?"

"I suspect that the culprit behind the recent kidnappings done in exchange for the notebook of death may have in fact been Mello."

Naru choked on her spit and started to cough. Mello, the person she had admired for so many years, a good-for-nothing criminal? Banish the thought!

"A-are you sure? How can you tell? Why would Mello do something like that?"

"Mello would want nothing more than to compete with me on the Kira case. I can see him taking this as an opportunity. Plus when he communicates to us over the headsets or mobile phones, I can hear him eating something in the background…a chocolate bar most likely."

No, no, no…how could this be happening? Naru's subconscious battled with itself over admiring a criminal. Naru decided it was time to change the subject.

"So…who has he kidnapped then?"

Near sat scrunched up on the floor playing with his hair. He looked up to where Naru was standing, looking down at him. It scared her just how dark and intimidating his eyes could be sometimes.

"First it was the director of the NPA, but he was killed by Kira as a 'suicide victim.' Now they have taken Soichiro Yagami's daughter, Sayu Yagami as hostage."

"Yagami? I haven't heard of that family."

Near resumed his stare at the floor and sighed slightly.

"Soichiro Yagami is on the Japanese Task Force with his son, Light Yagami. Light Yagami…stole L's identity after he died. Much of the evidence we have discovered points to Light Yagami's true identity as Kira."

Naru managed to conceal her surprise at his last statement. She hadn't realized just how serious the case had become as of late.

"But…I thought L named you as his successor, Near!"

"Yes, I was, but Light Yagami got there first. I am known as 'N' to the Japanese Task force and anyone on the outside."

"So will I be needing a code name too? You are going to let me work openly with these people, right? I can't use 'N' since that's already taken…"

Near examined the tiles of the floor contemplatively for a moment before responding,

"I…suppose you are working _with_ me and not _for_ me like Gevanni, Halle, and Rester. If you were to have a code name, however, that would make you a person of vital importance in this case. You would never be able to just do your own thing on the sidelines. Are you sure you want that?"

"I…" Naru grasped the hidden-meaning behind Near's words; the thing Near didn't want to say directly. If she had a code name and was right in the heat of the action, her life would be at a much greater risk. She could die, in short.

"I…didn't have any sort of interest in the case just a short while ago. Now things are different, but…at least give me a few weeks to think up a good letter for my code name."

"You do not have to do this, Naru. You should not have to risk your life like this."

Near's dark eyes penetrated right into Naru's. She felt like he could read her soul.

"But aren't you? You're risking your life for the case. I don't think my conscience would let me get away with you doing something like that while I'm on the 'sidelines' doing nothing. I understand not throwing me in this right away seeing as I just got here, but I want to be as useful as possible to the case." _And to you_, she thought silently to herself.

Near's eyes widened slightly.

"Fine. Tell me when you are ready to be revealed to the others."

He stood up and walked to the door, "Finish unpacking. There is something that I must do."

Near quietly closed the door behind him leaving Naru to ponder his last words.

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**_Diclaimer: _**The Death Note manga and characters were created by someone else. I don't own them. I do own this story and Naru, however.

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

Near couldn't take it anymore. He had to get out.

"Finish unpacking. There is something I must do," he told Naru before exiting the room. Immediately his heart slowed down to a reasonable pace.

For the first time in his life, Near was confused.

When he had heard her voice over the intercom, he had been more than surprised: he was in utter shock. The girl who had claimed all those years ago to wanting nothing to do with him was coming to work for him?

But nothing could've prepared him for actually laying eyes on her.

After the fight he had seen her grow up whether he wanted to or not. They had been confined to the same orphanage, after all. They never again had dared make eye contact or small talk, however. Sure he had glanced at her occasionally, hoping to find her looking back at him as if to say, "all is forgiven," but such was never the case.

When he opened the door to find Naru standing there looking like an angelic vision from another world, he realized that he had never really _looked_ at her after the fight. She had changed, a lot. No longer was she the girlish, short thirteen year old he remembered so well. She stood at 5'2'', her silky black hair falling to her waist gracing her slender frame. She was older now, so obviously more matured, so much more…Near could not decide on the appropriate word. Luckily for him, his trained emotionless state gave nothing away.

As they began to talk for the first time in three years, he found his heart begin to pound uncontrollably. And there was something in his throat that he couldn't explain. Was he nervous - nervous to talk to his old friend? But she had apologized, nothing to be worried about now. So why did he feel like the world would end if she left him? Naturally he was overcome with fear when she said she wanted to be right in the action with a code name. He couldn't understand why he would feel so scared about something like that, but he wanted nothing more than for her to be…safe. When his heart felt like it might jump right out of his chest, he knew he couldn't take the strange feelings anymore and left the room.

He entered his electronic covered, high ceiling workspace and started to build. His tarot card towers had never reached such unbelievable proportions. He sat there for what seemed like hours and just let his mind wander, trying to understand why he had felt the way he did. His emotions had never been so hard to control. Finally his towers covered the entire warehouse sized workspace. He was out of cards and just as confused as he had been when he had started.

Near was startled from his trance when Rester entered the room,

"N, we've just had contact from L. He needs to speak with you about the kidnapping right away! Should I set up the monitors?"

Near glared at Rester from the corner of his eyes.

"Not now, Commander Rester. More important right now…" he sighed, "I have a problem."

Rester knelt down next to Near.

"Is this about your friend?" He asked. Near's eyes widened.

"Yes." He whispered.

"If you are finding her to be a distraction, you can always ask her to leave."

Near struggled not to yell at Rester for even considering her absence.

"No, I do not want her to leave. That is the last thing I want to happen right now."

It was becoming increasingly obvious to Near that Rester could not help him anymore than he could help himself.

"Get L on the monitors…I will speak to him now I suppose."

Near went back to ignoring him and Rester did as he was bid, a little insulted.

"Odd boy…" Rester muttered to himself as he set up the screens. It was true, even if Near was not aware of it. He was nothing like most boys his age, that was for certain.

* * *

"I'm out to get groceries, Near!" Naru called out. It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning and nothing could dampen the excellent mood Naru found herself in. The past two weeks had been filled with grueling work on the never-ending Kira case, but Near was always close by for good company, either building something or creating Kira-related scenarios with his toys. Halle, Gevanni, and Rester stopped by often too and they were always a pleasure to talk to. She did savor the few moments she would get to herself when she went to run errands such as doing Near's shopping, however, as Near never left the building except on rare occasions.

Naru hummed happily to herself as she waltzed down the street to the grocery store. The wind blew her hair in all directions, the cold feeling so good against her skin…the hum of traffic beside her calming her and –

She suddenly found herself face down on the cold, hard cement. Her arm stung and bled slightly as she scraped up against it. After a moment of pain, she stood up angrily and stared hard at the ground. There was a large bag just sitting right in the middle of the sidewalk. She tried hard to control herself and not fling the annoying bag into the street as she picked it up and opened it. Inside was…chocolate? There were at least thirty bars of chocolate inside, all the same brand. It was perhaps the most ridiculous thing Naru had ever seen. What kind of person carried thirty chocolate bars around with them? Not knowing what else to do with the strangely discovered confectionary, she carried it with her down the street.

She hadn't walked two blocks when she heard yelling coming from behind her. She turned around to find a tall, skinny boy with red hair and orange goggles running down the sidewalk. He donned a fluffy tan vest and a red and black striped shirt.

"Hey! That's my bag you're holding!" The boy yelled at Naru. It took her a moment to realize what it was he was referring to. He ceased running and held out his hand.

"Give." He demanded.

Naru could only stare at the boy. There was something so familiar about him, something she couldn't quite place…then it hit her.

"Matt!" Naru cried, "Is that you?"  
The boy lowered his hand slightly and gave her an odd look before replying,

"Um…have we met?"

"It's Naru from Wammy's House, remember?"

Matt slapped his hand to his forehead and grimaced slightly in embarrassment,

"Ah, dude…Naru! Didn't recognize you there, sorry! You look…different."

"Really? In what way?" She handed him the bag of chocolate when he didn't reply, "What are you doing all the way in New York? I thought you left with -"

Then it hit her. The chocolate…Matt…"I-is…Mello…here? Is Mello with you in New York, Matt?"

Matt avoided Naru's insistent gaze and examined the cigarette he held in his hand.

"Um…Mello is…I don't know where Mello is. Sorry." He coughed unnaturally into his fist and smiled apologetically.

Naru decided she didn't believe a word of what Matt was telling her. There was no way he didn't know where his best friend had gotten to. If Matt was in New York, so was Mello.

"Oh…ok," she decided to ignore his dishonesty for the time being, "Well why don't we meet up someplace to talk? You know, catch up on the past three years? There's a café a few blocks from here we could go later."

Matt took a long drag from his cigarette before responding again,

"Yeah, sure. Now's a bad time though 'cuz I have…um…things to do, but tomorrow after lunch?"

"Yeah. Here's my number in case you need to reschedule." She handed him a slip of paper that she had just scrawled a number across, "Good to see you again Matt!"

Matt raised his hand in recognition and walked off back the way he had come. Naru followed suit walking in the opposite direction. She decided to follow her gut and not tell Near about her encounter or who she was meeting tomorrow.

After all, there were some things that he would just be better off not knowing, especially when he would just prevent her from going anyway.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: _**Death Note and all it's characters (except Naru) don't belong to me. I do own the story and my OC.

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

Mello the great mafia leader sat in the den of his hideout consuming chocolate bar after chocolate bar. He had a lot on his mind at the moment, what with the death note now in his possession and all. Sayu Yagami's father had complied with his terms without complaint, and in exchange for his daughter's life he gave Mello what else besides the famed notebook of death? He flipped absently through the pages, examining the rules and reading the content halfheartedly. As he decimated his last chocolate bar he gave out a muffled grunt, his mouth full to the brim. Matt was late with the chocolate again. Right as Mello was about to call him up on his cell, Matt walked through the door, bag of chocolate in hand.

"Where were you?" Mello snarled as he snatched the bag away.

"Sorry I'm late, I -"

"I _said _where were you?"

Matt sighed. Sometimes Mello had no patience whatsoever.

"I got held up, Mello."

"What? The store you were in had a holdup? Why didn't ya just use your gun to shoot 'em Matty?"

"No, no, not a hold up. I met someone."

"Ahhh…flirting with the ladies again. Nice! Where is she?"

"Dammit, Mello! I just ran into someone I knew from Wammy's. Maybe you remember her…Naru?"

"Naru, eh?" Mello contemplated her name while opening a fresh chocolate bar, "Say, about so short, black hair, gray eyes?"

"Yeah, that'd be her."

"She was Near's friend if I recall correctly." Mello's green eyes widened, "Was he there? Was Near with her, Matt?"

"Uhhh…not that I could see, no."

"Dammit…" Mello cursed under his breath, "Did she mention what she was doing in New York at all? Maybe Near was…oh, I dunno…_near_by!"

Matt rolled his eyes while Mello cracked up at his own joke.

"Nope, sorry. She was the one bombarding me with questions. She asked about you, ya know."

"Really?" Mello stopped laughing and directed his full attention at Matt, "You didn't tell her anything, did you?"

"No, duh. 'Course not. I totally threw her off the track. I'm meeting with her tomorrow at some café to 'catch up' with her."

"Anything else?"

"Well, she gave me her number for in case I need to reschedule or something. Why?" Matt handed him the slip of paper. Upon receiving the paper, Mello broke out into a huge grin. He fingered it excitedly.

"Oh, you'll definitely be 'rescheduling'…hehe. Matt…guess what?"

"What?" He gave Mello a nervous glance.

"I have a fabulous plan…it may be a long shot, but if I'm right then we might just find Near! I'm almost positive she'll know where he is."

Mello began to cackle maniacally as he slammed the paper onto the coffee table in front of him.

"Oh, god no, Mello…" matt put his head in his hands. He knew all too well that any plan of Mello's would bode ill for the both of them in the end.

* * *

"Hey, Near, is anything wrong?" Naru glanced over at Near's huddled form and contemplated him for a moment. He had been acting rather strangely as of late. Not that he wasn't naturally a strange boy, but lining up dominoes that extended the entire length of the 100ft x 100ft work room on a daily basis and making proper conversation with his toys that had nothing to do with the Kira case was considered odd behavior even for Near. Near turned his head at the mention of his name. The die tower he was busy constructing was reaching close to 10ft tall and Naru wondered just how he had managed to build it at his height of 5ft.

"I am fine, Naru."

She didn't believe him.

"You've been acting strangely all week. Did anything happen?"

He wanted to say, _you happened_, but managed to control himself. The strange emotions he was experiencing when with Naru were a complete mystery to him. She always managed to leave him breathless no matter what the situation. The only way he could relax around her, he found, was to complete meaningless tasks and situations in his head to distract himself.

"Nothing happened. I really am fine."

"Yeah, right. Fine, don't tell me then."

Naru snapped her head around back to her computer screen and pretended to be entirely captivated by the work she was doing. Unfortunately, she found she couldn't keep up the charade for long. The work was worse than having to memorize a book of law.

"I'm going out tomorrow, ok?" I won't be around for a few hours."

Near's ears perked up and he frowned slightly.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Where is out?"  
"Just out, ok? Can't I just go have a life once in a while? You aren't my parent, ya know."

"I never said I was."  
A long, tense silence followed.

"So can I go or not?" Naru piped up again.

"I thought it was not up to me. After all, I am not your parent."

"Shut up. I'm going anyway."  
"Fine."

The loud clattering of Naru pretending to type filled the room.

"So you're really ok then? Nothing weird happen with the second L or something?"

"No. Why do you keep asking?"

"Ah, no reason…just…wondering. Thanks for letting me get out once in a while I guess."

"I miss you when you're gone."

"What? Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"Nothing."

"Ok then…"

Naru properly resumed her work on the Kira case while Near continued to build his die tower. They sat together until the sun disappeared altogether and midnight overtook them.

Naru shut off her computer and walked up to Near. He was fast asleep on the floor next to a pile of toy robots he had been playing with earlier. He was scrunched up in the fetal position and his hair fell gracefully over his eyes and across the floor. Naru couldn't help but think how much of a kid he looked when he slept like that. And his hair…she found herself wanting to touch it, to run her hands through it over and over again. Her favorite part about him was his eyes and how they –

She stopped.

What in the bloody hell was she thinking?! This was _Near_. Her childhood friend! There was no way she was falling for Near. He was shorter than her by two inches! He wore white pajamas all the time – who does that? Not to mention he slept like a kid, but still managed to maintain his dignity in some way that was beyond her. And he breathed so gently, almost as if he didn't need to breathe at all. He was a perfect example of –

Damn. She was doing it again, if only subtly.

But he looked so peaceful sleeping there…she couldn't help herself anymore.

She lay down beside him and was asleep before her head touched the floor.

* * *

Near was dreaming.

In the dream, he was out in the sun, something that was a rarity in his life. Everything was so warm and inviting, so amazingly beautiful. He felt something brush against his hair, something soft…a hand? He turned and there was Naru, more beautiful than he had ever imagined. Her smile was like a ray of sunlight, blinding him and at the same time enticing him to come closer.

Then he was running, an action he had never undertook before in his life. Naru was also running up ahead taking speed. She seemed to be running from something…was she running from him? Before he could decide, a realization hit him hard and fast. He wanted to catch her.

Near willed his legs to move faster; he had never wanted something so much in all his life. It hurt him to move like this but he was so close now. She was almost in his grasp…

Then he had her. He grabbed at the front of her shirt and tackled her to the ground. Her silky black hair fell in a pool beside her as he held on tightly to her, willing himself to never let her go. She laid beside him, her eyes penetrating his, and the feeling was so overwhelming he thought he could burst at any moment. Slowly her hand reached out to him and…

He awoke with a start.

When he saw her face as it had been in the dream he nearly cried out in shock.

Naru's face was mere inches from his own, so close he could feel her breath on his skin.

And he was gripping the front of her shirt so hard his hands were turning red from the effort.

Near relaxed his grip after a moment and quickly turned over, countless situations running through his mind as to why she was sleeping next to him on the floor. Had she passed out from exhaustion? Had she willingly chosen to sleep by him? After a few minutes he closed his eyes again, willing the morning to come as soon as possible and at the same time to never end.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Disclaimer: _**I don't own Death Note! Just Naru and this story.

_A/N: _Rate puleez. I really want to hear from someone. Also I have chapter 7 on my computer but I'm not going to give it to you yet. I still have to type up chapter 8 and chapter 9 is still in progress. Anyway. Enjoy the story. I hope you enjoyed the fluff in the last chapter.

Sharzade

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

Naru opened her eyes to find an empty space next to her on the floor. She recalled her actions of the previous night and blushed slightly as she sat up. A voice from behind her made her jump.

"So you are awake."

"N-Near?"

"Yes?" Near was busy carving a dart from a block of wood.

"Ah…h-hey sorry about…well…I-I just…"

"You just what?"

The truth was, Naru had absolutely no idea what she was "just" doing last night. She couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of explanation she could give to Near to make him write off her actions. Instead of answering, she glanced at Near and smiled apologetically.

"Were you really so tired that you fell asleep on the ground?" Near asked, his white hair brushing against his face as he hugged his knee.

"I…guess so!" Yeah that must've been it!" Naru scratched the back of her head nervously.

Near turned his face away to hid the slight color burning through his pale cheeks. She was so cute when she was so obviously guilty.

"Hey what's the time anyway?" Naru quickly changed the subject hoping he wouldn't notice.

"It is 10:30. You slept in."

"Great…I'll work over lunch so I can go out around two then, ok?"  
"Alright. Do not be gone too long."

Naru hadn't been working five minutes when her cell phone rang.

She didn't recognize the number displayed but decided to answer it anyway. A man's voice was the first thing she heard,

"Come to 1108 Burrow Street at two this afternoon. If you refuse, your friend dies."

Naru trembled in her seat.

"W-who is this?" She whispered. Near sat on the other side of the room, oblivious to her conversation.

"That doesn't matter. If you don't comply, then we'll have no choice but to kill your friend. It's your life in exchange for his."

"What friend are you talking about? How do I know this isn't a hoax?"

The man sighed, obviously irritated.

"We have Matt. If you don't want him to die -"

"Can I talk to him? Put him on the phone!"

There was a loud shuffling on the other end as the phone was exchanged.

"Naru?" Matt's voice scratched out, "You've gotta help me! These guys keep pointing this gun to my head and it's really starting to piss me off."

"Oh my god, Matt!" Naru sighed out with relief upon hearing his voice. "They haven't hurt you, have they?"

"No. Just annoyed the hell outta me, that's all. You are gonna come, right? Don't let me die, Naru! Stop pointing that thing at me you asshole! -"

Once again the sound of shuffling filled Naru's ear.  
"We'll see you at two then, Miss Naru. If you tell anyone about this conversation, we'll kill Matt then hunt you down."

He hung up and the line went dead.

At 1:45, Naru told Near she had to leave and ran outside. The location she was to meet Matt's kidnapper at was right down the block from the SPK, but she ran the entire way regardless. The place turned out to be a huge warehouse building with only one visible door and to her relief, it was unlocked. She stepped inside and quickly closed the door behind her.

Inside, everything was dim. Hanging lamps lighted random places around the room, but the light bulbs flickered randomly if they weren't already out completely. Boxes and crates were piled up everywhere she looked. Walking a little further into the warehouse, she caught a glimpse of Matt tied to a chair and quickly hid behind a particularly large crate. She peeked out and saw a huge, burley man with sunglasses looming over him. The kidnapper. Gathering all her courage, she stepped out from behind the crate and made her way over to them. She stopped a few feet from the man, afraid to get any closer.

"Let him go!" Naru nervously called out to the large man, "I'm here now so leave him alone!"

The kidnapper pulled out a gun from inside his coat and laughed mercilessly.

"Hahaha! You idiot! Did you really think I would let him live to spread news to the police? Now that you're here, there's no reason not to send the both of you to hell."

"W-what? Why do you want to kill me anyway?!" He pointed his gun directly at Naru. She cringed instinctively. Why hadn't she thought to bring a weapon?

"I'm the one who kidnapped the director of the NPA and Sayu Yagami. I'm your greatest threat! You're working for N, right? Just admit it, I know the truth. I know you're working for N, therefore you must die!" Naru felt a fresh rush of fear run through her. He knew she was working for N, but how? She hadn't been revealed to anyone yet, even in secret! She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar! Don't try to pretend! Admit it!" The man clicked off the safety and readied his trigger finger.

"If you already think that I'm working for N, then why should I have to confirm it?! You're crazy! Please, put the gun down!" She could feel it now; any second she would be lying dead on the ground, a pool of blood beneath her fresh corpse. She closed her eyes and waited for the bang that would end her life.

The shot echoed around the room. _I'm dying, I'm dying, I'm dying_, Naru thought desperately to herself. But wasn't a gunshot supposed to be painful? She slowly opened her eyes. What she saw was barely registering in her mind. Another man, only a few years older than her, had stepped out from behind a crate and shot the kidnapper squarely in the heart. He was the fresh corpse pooling blood, not Naru. The mystery man lowered his gun and she dared look him in the eye for the first time. She nearly passed out when she realized who he was.

Fine blonde hair framed his face; his green eyes glistened even in the dim lighting. He was wearing all leather and reminded Naru greatly of a vampire having just fed. She secretly hoped he really was a vampire and would bite and feast on her blood next. She would gladly welcome such ecstasy as that, especially from such an unlikely candidate as Mello. Mello returned her stare, his green eyes penetrating her gray.

"You ok?" They were the first words he had ever spoken to her and she vowed to commemorate them somehow as soon as possible, maybe even erect a shrine of sorts.

Ah, but where was her voice? She willed herself to speak to the inhumanly beautiful man in front of her and not make a fool of herself.

"I-I am f-fine!" She tried to conceal her blush but failed miserably.

Damn, damn, damn! She was messing up big time and she knew it. Mello gave her an odd look before going over to untie Matt. After a moment, Naru hesitantly made her way over to the two boys.

"Uh…Matt, I thought you weren't in contact with Mello." She managed to mutter barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Hey, man, this is just as much of a surprise to me as it is to you, ok?" Matt held his now untied hands up in defense, "If you want an answer, I'm sure Mello will be able to help you, eh Mello?"

Mello glanced up from untying Matt's legs.

"Huhn?"

"God, Mello. It's obvious isn't it? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, Matt, I was trying to find you after I heard you were in New York, but right as I found you, that guy stole you away before you could notice me. Naturally I followed. I can't believe you let him do that, Matty. You should've just shot the bastard."

"Shaddap…"

"Whatever. So who're you?" He directed the question at Naru.

"Me?" It came out as a squeak. "N-Naru…from the Wammy's House. I remember you were one of L's successors, Mello."

Mello pretended to think hard for a moment.

"Hmmm…Naru…oh, yes. Near's friend." His eyes narrowed menacingly at the thought.

"Yeah, that was me." She sighed out, grateful of the fact that he had actually noticed her at one point.

"You still friends with him? That kidnapper made it sound like you were working for him or something."

Naru wasn't sure how to answer. Apparently the kidnapper Near had mentioned was dead…so was Mello's name cleared then? But the kidnapper's personality hadn't seemed so reckless up until now, what with him revealing himself like that. Was it somehow a setup? She couldn't be sure. But Mello and Matt could've set the whole thing up if they wanted information on Near…Naru couldn't get her mind to wrap around the thought, however, and settled on a different option.

"Yeah, we're still friends." She avoided the second half of his question and any eye contact.

"I see." Mello turned his face slightly away from hers.

Naru couldn't see it, but Mello smirked slightly into the darkness.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer:**_ No, I don't own Death Note! Naru is mine so don't steal.

A/N: Someone has requested a picture of Naru (which i've already drawn) but I have to get it on my computer. Chapter 8 is done so i'll give you a link later with the chapter! By the way thanks to everyone who rated! I love hearing from you guys. :)

Sharzade

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

Naru was finally able to return to the SPK at four o' clock that afternoon. She ran the entire way, hoping that Near wasn't going to get upset about her long absence.

"Hey Near, I'm back!" Naru shook off her coat and threw it over her computer chair. Near looked up from the card tower he had been building to find Naru working at her desk. She had been gone two hours; two hours in which he had gotten more work done than he had over the entirety of last week.

He realized to his disdain that the way Naru made him feel was not having a good effect on his concentration.

When she was around, all he could think about was how beautiful and caring she was and how despite the ups and downs they had had, they were still friends. She was the only friend he had ever had, actually. He still didn't understand why these facts would cause him to think of her more than he should or send his heart racing at the mere sight of her. His dreams had begun to feature Naru more and more and he would always awake, drenched in a sweat, only to remember every little detail he had conjured up in his head. Most of the dreams he had made no sense to him at all. They would usually conclude themselves with Naru reaching out her hand to him, her intentions unknown, but before Near could discover the meaning behind it, he would awaken.

Now that Naru was back, he found he couldn't concentrate at all. His mind kept racing between what he was doing and the fact that she was sitting less than five feet away from him. He had been unhappy while she was gone but at least his head hadn't been in a fog of incomprehensible _emotion. _After a moment of contemplation, he stood up and stalked over to where she was working. Naru noticed him after a second and immediately caught the hint of sadness in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

"Can you…work somewhere else? In your room maybe?"

Naru gave him a disbelieving look.

"What? You can't be serious."

"I am."

She was greatly taken aback.

"Why? What did I do? I won't go out so much if that's why you're mad…"

Near sighed and met the gaze of the desperate girl in front of him.

"No…go out as much as you like. I just can't work like this anymore."

Naru searched his eyes hoping to find an answer to her impending question, _why_, but it wasn't revealing itself. All she could see was remorse. And there was another emotion there too, something that wasn't quite right to see in Near. She couldn't find the word for it but it scared her and made her feel more alone than she had ever been before. His words stung her through and through and she felt the rejection he had just expressed for her creep up her spine. After a second it had all sunk in and she stood up from her chair.

"Fine, then…I guess I'll be going. I'll…see you around."

She slowly walked to the door, tears threatening to submerge themselves at any moment. She struggled to hold them back.

"Make sure you close the door behind you." Near reminded her. Her attempts had been in vain, she realized, as her hopeless eyes stained her cheeks over and over again.

* * *

Naru sat in her room, her mind fixated on Near. There was definitely something that he wasn't telling her. First his strange behavior with his toys and now this! Naru had been getting the impression lately (no matter how much Near had tried to conceal it) that he had actually liked having her around him. Naru found that she was very good at reading the boy, even though he would never reveal any emotion willingly. She supposed it was just because she had known him so long that she was able to use this to her advantage as she did. He was happy when she was around and became depressed upon the mention of her leaving. She wondered why he would possibly put himself thorough this separation when it so obviously gave him pain.

But it was best to just forget about him now, she realized. After all, he had hurt her feelings incredibly and she didn't want to dwell on it. She let her mind wander to someone else, someone who fate had brought into her life only recently.

Mello.

After a lifetime of his cold shoulder, he had saved her life and noticed her for the first time. Recalling her conversation with him made her heart flutter.

He had asked to see her again. Privately.

She couldn't explain in what context he had decided to do it. He had seemed very adamant to speak with her again, but was it just a casual thing between friends? Did he just want to chat? Was it a date? She tried not to get her hopes up on this last note but it was awfully hard not to. No matter what the true purpose, she was going to see Mello again in only a few days time. She could hardly wait one more second. Surely three days would kill her.

Near's pained eyes kept intruding in her mind, however, so she settled back down by her computer and set herself to work. She had a long wait ahead of her, after all.

* * *

Matt was depressed.

He had never liked betrayal. It was something he was strongly against and the fact that he had had to betray Naru was killing him. Mello's orders had made it necessary, however, and seeing as how his word was law in the Mafia, he knew he didn't have much choice. He and Naru had been friends at the Wammy's House and lying to her pained him. He could handle lying to her about Mello's and his situation, sure; no one could know they were part of the Mafia, but now Mello was just going to use her for information. Matt had played an important role in deceiving Naru and he let this fact eat him from the inside.

This compassionate side of Matt was one that he hardly ever showed to anyone, not even those closest to him. He found he could loosen up somewhat around Mello seeing as he was his best friend, but around Naru he had always been able to be himself completely. He had never been so comfortable around anyone before in his life. Matt was, in reality, a very caring and dependable person. He was just incapable of showing it most of the time. His personality changed for the worse when he was faced with lying, which is exactly what had occurred during the kidnapping setup.

He absolutely hated what Mello was going to do to Naru now for information on Near. "Any means necessary," Mello had said to him. He racked his brain for some way to help her but came up short. Helping her would mean betraying Mello, something he could never do.

Was there no solution in which everyone could be happy? He set his PSP down on the coffee table in front of him and put his head in his hands. He knew he shouldn't concern himself so wholeheartedly with the situation but he just couldn't help it anymore.

"Hey Matt! Whacha doing?" Mello called from the other room. Matt stood up and tried to empty his mind and conscience. He casually shuffled into Mello's room, his hands in his pockets.

"Sup." He took a seat next to Mello on the couch.

"I'm bored. Entertain me." Mello demanded.

"What the hell, man?" Matt could only sigh, "I doubt there's anything I could do that would 'entertain you.'"

"Whatever. I'm still bored. Wanna do anything?"

"Not really…" Matt put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes as if to sleep. Mello wasn't buying it.

"Wake up, you ass. Let's talk about…girls!"

Of course, Matt thought to himself. Mello always wanted to talk about girls. Even when they were just walking down the street and happened to see a girl, Mello would like to "rate" her on a scale of 1 to 10. If the girl was an eight or higher, Mello would talk about her non-stop for hours. Mello had strange taste in girls, however, as he preferred skinny to voluptuous. Matt could never understand this.

"Fine…Naru's pretty, isn't she?" He offered

"Yeah…she was quite something actually. She's the type of girl who's really easy to fall in love with. I could tell."

"Yeah, she is. Do we really have to deceive her like this? I mean, I want to know where Near is just as bad as you do, man, but Naru's my friend."

Mello snapped off a piece of chocolate loudly and contemplated.

"Hmmm…you always were too much of a good guy, ya know that?" Matt scowled slightly at Mello's words, "Look, you don't have to get involved anymore if you don't want to, but don't tell her what I'm planning at all. And don't go falling in love with her, Matty." Mello started to laugh but choked instead. "S-sorry. You being with her is just too much!"

"I don't think it's funny." Matt murmured to himself. Mello caught it, however, much to Matt's dismay.

"What? You don't actually like her, do you?"

Matt's bright orange goggles hid his blush.

"I dunno…maybe."  
Mello stared at Matt as if he had just sprouted a third arm.

"What the hell?"

"Sorry. I can't help it."

"Well you better. Cuz you know she'd just break your heart. She's a heart breaker too, I can tell. Plus you're in the Mafia which equals instant rejection from the likes of her."

"Does it really have to be that way?" Matt whispered to himself, and this time Mello didn't catch it.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**_Disclaimer:_** I own Naru and the words writen on this page. Nothing else! Not Death Note or Near or Mello or Matt...sigh

_A/N: _For some reason the website I keep trying to put in this document with Naru's picture keeps disappearing every time I save it, so i'll have to give it to you more subtly...ok so go to tinypic dot com/sharzade and click on the picture. Sorry if she's not exactly how you imagined her...i tried really hard on the outfit though :D

By the way, thanks to everyone who rated! Enjoy the chapter. Lots of Melloness in this one...haha he's really evil in this story i've noticed.

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

The clock ticked by aimlessly for what seemed to be the slowest hours of Naru's life. In reality it had barely been thirty minutes since the last time she had checked. She sat in her room trying hard to concentrate on the file she was looking at on her computer and not fall asleep, but it was becoming seemingly more impossible with every tick of the clock. The Kira case was just so unbelievably _dull _without Near around. He had always made it seem at least somewhat interesting to her but she was alone now. Naru's head drooped and plopped squarely on her keyboard, the "g" and "h" keys repeating themselves over and over on the screen. She only fell asleep to have a loud knock on the door startle her awake.

"Come in…" She called out groggily, wondering who it could be. Halle, one of Near's agents, walked into the room and smiled. Naru had always thought of her as the somewhat motherly type from the few conversations they had engaged in.

"Hello, Naru. I'm not disturbing anything, am I?" She asked politely. Naru stood up and clung to her computer chair for balance, her eyes still drooping slightly.

"No…not at all…did you need something?"

Halle glanced at the floor and frowned. Her light eyes darted back to Naru's immediately.

"I want to talk to you about Near."

Naru's chest tightened. That no good abandoning brat?

"What about him?" Naru said coldly.

"I'm just concerned is all…he's been acting strange since you left a few days ago. Is everything alright between the two of you?"

_No_, she wanted to say, _no he told me to go away and now I can hardly function_! Instead a muffled grunt was all that passed her lips

"I'll take that as a no…" Halle sighed and sat in one of the comfortable looking armchairs by Naru's bed. She motioned for Naru to come sit next to her and she hesitated before complying.

"You know Naru…Near's work is very important to him. But I think that you are very important to him as well. I don't know if maybe you were becoming a distraction to him for some reason, but regardless I really think you should try to come back."

"Excuse me?" Naru could barely believe what she was hearing, "_He_ was the one who asked _me_ to leave! I can't go over there and beg him to let me work by him again! If he really wants me back then he can tell me himself."

"Don't you want to see him again? This may be just a guess, but if I am not mistaken I would say that he is very important to you too, Naru."

She was right and the words hit Naru like a brick.

"Yeah, sure I miss him…but if he doesn't want to work with me then I won't force him. We're equals."

"If you're equals then why don't you compromise?"

Naru played with her hands as she studied the floor intensely. Halle was surprisingly analyzing the situation better than even Naru had.

"Fine. I'll try. But not right now. I have some business to attend to."

Naru stood up and Halle smiled down at her.

"He really cares for you, Naru. I can tell." She bowed before exiting the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Naru threw on her coat and shoes as she thought about the opinions Halle had just voiced to her. Did Near really care for her more than he let on? What about how she felt about him? That was a question she wasn't comlpletey sure of to answer, but it bothered her in the back of her mind, persistently echoing in her head. She desperately tried to drown out whatever thoughts of Near she had conjured up with thoughts of what lay just ahead.

The time had come to meet Mello at last.

* * *

Naru stood outside the entrance to the Hotel D'Amore and sighed. This was the address Mello had said he was staying at for the time being but the first impression she got from it was far too risqué. For a moment she had second thoughts about their meeting but she willed herself to believe she was just being paranoid. As she stepped inside the building, Naru recognized just how expensive a place like this must be. Gold adorned the windows and doors and a pure white marble floor echoed with every footstep. The diamond chandelier hanging from the ceiling was so enormous and unstable that Naru honestly feared that it would fall and crush everything at any moment. Nervously she walked up to the front desk where a short lady with a red bob was situated.

"Can you tell me where room 102 is?" Naru asked her, glancing around at all the prestigious décor, "I'm meeting someone there."

"Ahhh, of course." The lady smiled as if she had just been let in of a juicy secret, "Fifth floor, third door to your right. You're a lucky girl that your boyfriend can afford a place like this."

"N-no, it's not like that!" Naru blushed furiously. The lady winked as if Naru was simply being modest which set her running for the elevator.

The elevator hummed to life and before she knew it she was standing in front of room 102, hand extended as if ready to knock. Suddenly, without warning, her nerves kicked in. What if it had all been a mistake and he decided he didn't want to see her after all? What if they had nothing to talk about and they just sat there awkwardly? What if something…happened? With Mello? This last thought gave her heart palpitations and she tapped her chest to steady her breathing. Gathering up her courage, she knocked firmly on the door three times.

About ten seconds later, the door opened to reveal Mello and his opulent hotel room. Naru couldn't help but think how striking he looked in his stark black leather ensemble.

"You came." He sounded honestly surprised.

"Yeah..." Naru muttered, not sure how to greet him, as intimidating as he was.

"Are you going to come in?" He asked, gesturing to his room in all its glory. It was an oversized suite with rich colors and expensive furniture. He motioned to a dark red velvet couch for her to sit in and she accepted.

"Do you want anything to drink? Coffee, tea, champagne?" He swiftly held up a green bottle from inside a cabinet and popped the cork. He then expertly juggled two wine glasses in between his fingers and poured for the both of them.

Naru could only gawk when Mello handed her a wine glass.

"I'm only 16!" She protested.

"Eh, I'm only 17. No big deal." He took a seat on the couch with her and took a sip.

"How did you get it then? They couldn't have sold it to you. You're too young."

Mello looked slightly irritated at the question.

"I have older friends. They got it for me."

"Oh…"

Silence filled the room. Mello drank his wine while Naru sniffed hers, undecided on what to do with it.

"Well, Naru…" Mello began, "I suppose you're wondering why I asked to see you like this."

"Sorta, yeah." The truth was, she was _dying_ to know why he had wanted to meet, especially here in a hotel of all places.

"The truth is…I'm looking for Near. I've always resented him, but those days are over now. I want to work with him, to work along side him as his equal."

Naru found Mello's words to be quite disconcerting. He had just exactly described her own work relationship to Near.

"Uh huh…well what does this have to do with me?"

"Do you know where he is? You were his best friend back at the Wammy's House so it would make sense for you two to be in contact with one another."

"I see."

Everything seemed wrong to Naru. The hotel, the champagne that she was now pretending to drink, and Mello's _I've turned over a new leaf! _charade.

"I haven't talked to him since he left to form the SPK. Sorry."

"How do you know he formed the SPK?"

Oh, crap. She just messed up big time, she realized with chagrin. The only reason she knew about the SPK was because she was _in_ the SPK.

"Oh, um…well…"

A smirk crept up Mello's lips. He stared at her patiently; waiting for the next little lie he knew she was bound to come up with.

"He…told me before he left. We were best friends so he would've told me."

"But weren't you two having a spat at the time? Why would he tell you where he was going if you weren't on speaking terms?"

Shoot. Another detail she had overlooked. She racked her imagination for another believable excuse but came up blank.

Mello took another sip of his champagne, looking quite satisfied.

"Alright then." He smiled at her as if he had just won a particularly difficult chess match, "You won't tell me then? Fine. I understand if you don't trust me."

Naru couldn't speak. She wanted the floor suck her under. He knew! He knew that she had been lying about her knowledge of Near's whereabouts this whole time.

Out of the blue, Mello took the initiative. He leaned forward and before Naru could object, kissed her right on the lips. Naru felt her face go red and almost passed out from his own warm face brushing against her own. It was a shock to her system and when he decided to break away she could only gawk. Mello smirked back at her looking quite pleased with himself.

"I doubt there's anything you'll want to ask me right now. I do hope you come to trust me soon, Naru. I'll be waiting." He stood up and walked over to the door. Naru's face had gone completely red. Everything was happening too fast. After a moment she stood up and stumbled to the door, her head in a pink fog.

"I…I gotta go!" Her voice threatened to crack which only seemed to please Mello even more.

"Right. Till next time then." He shut the door behind her.

Naru shakily went down the elevator and staggered out the front door of the hotel. Countless thoughts rushed through her mind, crashing into one another like an out-of-control roller coaster.

This was bad, very bad. She was definitely in trouble now.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

**_Disclaimer: _**I don't own Death Note or any related characters! I think they may actually own me.

_A/N: _Well...here it is! Chapter 9. This one should be interesting...hehe. I'm going to type out chapter 10 later (it's longish) but then it might be a while for chapter 11 considering I haven't even started it yet...oh well. BY THE WAY...please review! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far!

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

It took Naru a few days to calm down and recover from her encounter with Mello. He hadn't tried to contact her since, which worried her somewhat. What was he up to? Her thoughts came to Matt and she questioned if he was involved in anything that Mello was doing. He and Mello were best friends after all who had just found each other after a three-year separation…but was that separation all somehow a lie after all? Mello seemed to be quite untrustworthy and his motives were undoubtedly far from pure. It wouldn't surprise her if everything that had involved Mello had just been a setup to get closer to Near. Naru worried about Near more than ever now. She just couldn't bring herself to tell him about her encounters with Mello and Matt anymore. Rester had informed her that Near was 90 sure that the kidnapper now in possession of the death note was Mello. This alleged criminal also happened to be a leader in the Mafia. What would he say if he knew that she had gone behind his back to meet him in a _hotel_?

And of course, there had been the kiss. That abrupt, confusing kiss from that dangerous, sinister boy. Naru knew she no longer thought of Mello as anything except a possible criminal, but it had caught her completely off guard. Did it mean anything? Was he just messing with her head? She didn't know, but it only strengthened her resolve to not tell Near. If he were to find out, he'd probably kick her out of the SPK entirely. Not that she felt like she was even a part of the SPK anymore. This last thought set her off completely. Naru angrily stood up from her chair and marched to the back of the building, back to the workspace where she and Near once spent the majority of their time together.

Instead of knocking on the door, Naru burst in, a hard look on her face.

"Near!" She called out, obviously pissed, "We need to talk! Now!" She added. Near stared at her in shock. He had been brainstorming the Kira case and the second L's motives right before she had barged in. He hadn't seen her at all in about a week and all the information and ideas in his head vanished the moment he set eyes on her.

"Naru…Halle told me you might come…" Near carefully stood up and mumbled something inaudible as he nervously played with a piece of hair.

"Oh, really? Why didn't you try to stop me then, eh? It's not like you want me around. I don't feel like your equal at all anymore, Near!"

Near fell silent. She was angry with him. He hated the all too familiar feeling as it made uncomfortable knots in his stomach.

"Naru, please. I am sorry that you are mad…but I just felt that -"

"Don't give me this crap, Near." Naru interrupted. She wasn't letting herself hold anything back now that she was way past her limit. "I'm barely even involved in this case anymore! I really thought we were a team! Don't you care about me at _all,_ Near? You don't even give a damn lately about anything I do…heck, I could be getting myself into a horrible mess out…out there…" She vaguely pointed in the direction of the front entrance to the building that led outside, "and you would just sit idly by at your stupid workstation and do _nothing_!"

She was yelling now, each word feeling like a satisfying spark on her tongue. "I'm sick and tired of this, Near. I want to do more with you or not be here at the SPK at all. I've decided it's time…I want a codename, Near! I want to be right in the action!"

Near hadn't even let himself blink as Naru had told him off. A vague sense of shock was visible on his face. Naru breathed heavily on the other side of the room, rejuvenated.

He tried to say something to her but found he couldn't. For one of the first times in his life, Near was completely speechless.

"I want to be called 'K'…you know, for my last name."

Near knew that Naru, like all those from the Wammy's House, kept an alias at all times. Even though she knew she shouldn't, Naru had divulged her true name to Near at one point in their friendship. He had never forgotten it.

"I understand." Near fidgeted for a moment, unsure of what to say as to not make her yell at him again. "I…like your real name, Naru. It is very much like you."

"What do you mean…like me? I prefer Naru." She scoffed at him, not understanding what he could possibly mean.

Near wanted to tell Naru what he meant by the statement, but part of him just couldn't. It was too out there, too direct. Something else inside of him, however, was screaming out to him to just say it. They were the words he thought whenever he lay eyes on her and there was no doubt in his mind that they were the truth. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Your name…Nikita Kareen…" he said clearly, just loud enough for Naru to hear, "Is beautiful. Just like you."

She couldn't believe it. Had Near just called her _beautiful_? Her heart leapt and the part of her that couldn't answer the question _How do I feel about Near?_ was jumping up and down. It wouldn't stay in its seat and it made her want to do crazy, ridiculous things. The question had just been answered for her and she couldn't take it.

I-I have to go!" She cried out and made a dash for the door. Near didn't hesitate in running after her. After all, he had had plenty of practice in his dreams. To his dismay, he found that the unfamiliar action hurt his legs a lot more in real life.

Naru was quite a fast runner but Near's determination was fierce. He flinched when he realized that Naru was headed for the door that led outside, but he continued to chase her anyway. Just like in his dream, his goal was clear. He wanted to catch her, but the desire was so much stronger now. Everything that was important to him depended on this.

Naru was beginning to slow down now that she was outside, unaware of her fast approaching pursuer, but Near kept on running, pushing himself to his absolute limit. Finally, Naru stopped to catch her breath. Near, however, couldn't seem to stop his legs and crashed right into her.

They both went pummeling down to the ground. Naru, who had been caught completely off guard, let out a little shriek as Near landed on top of her. He was clinging to her shirt, hard.

"N-Near!" Naru gasped. The intense look he was giving her made her heart pound at a ridiculous pace. Now she knew how she truly felt about him, what she had wanted all along, but could she handle it?

"Naru…" Near stared deeply into her eyes. He had no desire to move from his spot beside Naru. Her face had never been so close before. His eyes traced down to her lips and a strange desire overtook him to do something completely unreasonable. At that moment, it clicked. He had always been somewhat unfamiliar with the complete range of human emotion, having had suppressed them for so long, but the feelings he was having towards Naru could no longer be ignored. At that moment he gained a slight understanding of what they truly meant.

Naru had started to cry, her tears running down the sides of her face into her hair, pooling onto the ground. Neither of them spoke, letting an understanding they had lacked about themselves sink in. Naru slowly reached out her hand, Near holding his breath in anticipation for the final piece of the puzzle that would finally explain everything.

She gently placed her hand on the back of his snow-white hair and intertwined her fingers longingly. She pushed herself up slightly from the ground and leaned forward over him. Her face was coming ever closer with each passing second. Near had an idea of what she meant to do and panicked. This, no matter how much he had really wanted it, was not something he had expected of Naru even in his wildest dreams. And he had a lot of those. Could the emotions he experienced around her really be…?

Finally the gap between them closed. In that moment in time, nothing else mattered. No one else existed. Naru pushed up closer to him, desperate for something she didn't realize she had needed all along. Near was utterly frozen in place, not knowing how to respond. This was the first time _anything_like this had even come vaguely close to happening to him. After a moment of Naru's patient encouragement, he relaxed and tried to kiss her back, unsure of whether or not he was doing it right. Naru had pulled him into a sitting position but had no intention of stopping what she was doing just yet. She hadn't realized just how much she had been holding back all this time.

Near pulled away much sooner than Naru would've liked. A new emotion registered on his face, one that she had never seen the likes of in him before. She thought she had an idea of what it might be, but was it just her hopeful imagination playing tricks on her?

"Naru…I…" Near whispered, not knowing how to say the words that had suddenly emerged in his head. The words made perfect sense to him and he knew he finally completely understood what he could not before.

"I…think I love you."

Naru's heart leapt out of her chest. Did Near just say…he loved her? To her surprise, a soft laugh escaped from her throat.

"I think I love you too, Near." She smiled, relieved that at last everything made sense. Near's face, however, had fallen slightly. He looked away and began to play with his hair again, deep in thought.

"We can't." He finally said. Naru was speechless. What did he mean by "they couldn't?"

"W-What?" She asked desperately.

"We can't…it's too distracting right now…the Kira case. We have to capture Kira first."

Naru took in his words and sighed.

"You're right…after the Kira case then. After the Kira case, then we'll be…"

_Then we'll be together._

A low chuckle vibrated from behind the bushes around where Naru and Near were sitting. Neither of them noticed Mello as he sat and watched their every more. So tailing Naru had been a success after all…though he had never expected anything like _this _to happen.

He thought of his poor friend Matt. What would he say when he found out? But all this information was just too juicy to keep to himself. He slowly stood up from his hiding place and quickly made his way back to the mafia hideout, laughing the entire way. Getting to Near wasn't going to be difficult after all.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Death Note at all! So stop thinking I do.

_A/N:_ So it's finally here...chapter 10. I just finished working out the enire plot and I have to say things should be getting very interesting soon. I won't give anything away, but let's just say that...no actually I won't say anything. You're just going to have to find out yourself.

Ok well read the chapter and review if you like. Kudos to everyone who reviewed! You get my eternal love.

Sharzade

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

Mello returned to his lair rather giddy.

"Oh Maa-aatt…" He sung out, the delight overwhelming in his voice. After a few moments, Matt shuffled into the room looking pissed. His PSP hung limply at his side.

"Damn! My character keeps dying on level 13! What the hell do you want?"

Mello slowly unwrapped his chocolate bar, savoring every crease he made in the foil. It was all too obvious he was enjoying himself.

"I found Near." Matt's jaw practically hit the floor.

"W-What? Was he with Naru like you thought?"

"Oh, he was _with _her alright…" Mello sneered, "I've never seen Near run like that…"

Matt pulled a cigarette pack out from his pocket and lit one.

"Come on. Just tell me what happened."

"Fine." Mello sighed as he threw himself across the couch. "They both ran outside as I was spying on the building which Naru had entered hours previously. Anyway, Near tackled her to the ground and well…you know" He coughed into his fist unnaturally and gestured with his hands to make his point. Matt stared at him with the utmost horror. "In short," Mello continued, "They're in love."

"No way!"

"Yes way."

"They couldn't have…!"

"Oh but they _did_."

Matt gawked open mouthed at the floor.

"How far did…did they…?"

"They hardly did anything. Overall a rather boring afternoon."

Matt couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Thank god…but they're in _love _you say? No way! Near can't have her! I won't let him! I'll do whatever it takes to get that girl!"

Mello chuckled silently to himself. Matt's reactions were always so humorous.

"Are you really so sure about Naru, Matt? What makes you think she'd even accept you? You haven't exactly been too truthful about your whole situation."

"I have to have her. She's the one. I hate that I haven't been able to see her again…we haven't really _talked_ in three years!"

Mello stuffed his hand in between the cushions of the couch and pulled out a slip of paper with a phone number scrawled across it.

"Here's the number she gave you a while back. You can call her if you want, Matt. You can tell her the truth even, if you're up to it. It really doesn't matter to me anymore. Heck, it might even make things more interesting if she knows about how we tricked her. Just make sure it doesn't get us killed, ok?"

Matt took the paper and studied it intensely.

"What about Near? Don't you think that she'll just tell him whatever we say? I bet he already knows that we've been in contact with her."

Mello smirked into his chocolate.

"I hope he does know. Or if he doesn't know…I hope he finds out. I don't think she's said anything to him though or else he'd have been more careful about going outside. Also, he'd never let her have come to the hotel if he had known earlier. Naru might just be more deceptive than we knew. But I hope he finds out. I want it to have been a completely fair battle between us when I win."

"So I guess this means you're done messing with her for information? There's really no point in it anymore."

"I know." Mello sat up straight and plopped his feet up on the table in front of him. "Try to make plans with Naru, Matt. We're deceiving _Nea_r now, not Naru, so I don't think you should have moral issues getting involved anymore. So go see her and tell her our whole story. Make sure she knows that we're aware of her contact with Near. I definitely want you to find out whether or not Near himself knows anything as well, but if she hasn't told him anything…well then I guess we'll have to inform him some other way."

He drooped his head slightly causing his bangs to cover his eyes. A dangerous smirk played around his lips. Menacing could not even begin to describe how he appeared just then, Matt noted wearily to himself.

He slipped the paper with Naru's number on it into his pocket for future reference and left the room without a second glance.

* * *

"Pass me that blue folder over there, will you?" Naru asked from the other side of the room. Near rolled around on his back to face her, robots flying though the air. She hadn't turned around to look at him at all.

"What folder?"

"She waved her hand around in its general direction.

"Just…it's over there. Somewhere."

He slowly got up and retrieved the bulky folder for her. As he handed it to her, their fingers accidentally brushed. This sent Naru into a fit of blushing so intense she didn't dare look at him for fear of turning an even darker shade of red.

"Thanks." She squeaked. Near eyed her curiously, his dark eyes sparkling. He finally felt complete now that she was his. He had never felt so satisfied before.

The last few days had been, to say the least, awkward between the two of them. Neither had directly brought up the scene that had caused them to reveal their true feelings for one another, but it became blatantly obvious they were thinking about it every time they glanced each other's way. Naru would usually turn red while Near's eyes would widen in disbelief as he recalled everything that had taken place. Only recently had he begun to accept it and understand it. The feeling she gave him was the most wonderful thing he had ever experienced and was perhaps the only emotion he did not try to conceal or reject. Anything seemed possible now that there was nothing left to explain between them.

Or so he thought. One phone call quickly changed all that.

"Naru? Would you _please_ answer your phone?" Near asked impatiently. It had been vibrating loudly for the past few seconds and was beginning to drive him insane. "Naru?"

There was no reply. Finally he just turned around to see what the matter was. Naru was scrunched up against her keyboard; face squished and eyes closed. She was fast asleep. Near sighed. It was nearly _impossible_ to wake Naru up when she fell asleep on the job. The one time he had tried it, she had unwillingly reacted and sent him flying into a pile of toys whilst in her half-awake state. Today would probably be no different.

He cautiously made his way over to her desk and stared at the annoying cell phone. It just wouldn't shut up. An unfamiliar number was displayed and whomever it was that wanted to talk to her appeared to need to do so rather urgently. Well, they were about to be disappointed, he thought to himself as he answered it in her place.

"Hello?" He mumbled, not really wanting to talk to a stranger.

"Huhn? Who is this?" The person on the phone protested, "Naru? Where's Naru?"

Near's voice caught in his throat. He _recognized _this voice from somewhere. It wasn't one he had heard too often or he would've been able to place it immediately, but he definitely knew it.

"She will be around in a moment," he lied. He had to know whom it was he was speaking to at all costs. His instinct told him it was of vital importance. "Who may I say is calling?"

He was met with silence. For a moment, Near thought the mystery caller had simply hung up, but that did not turn out to be the case.

"Is this…Near?"

Now it was Near's turn to cease speaking. A smile grew around his lips as he realized whom the voice belonged to.

"Hello, Matt. Nice to talk to you again.

A sharp intake of breath was heard as Matt steadied himself. Countless reasons for why Matt was trying to contact Naru sped through Near's mind as he wound his hair tightly around his finger.

"How are you, Matt? Is Mello with you at the moment?"

Matt scowled angrily, back at the mafia lair.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Do not try to pretend. You might as well admit it. Either way I will trace this call and find out your whereabouts."

Matt's voice suddenly became very calm.

"Don't make any hasty decisions, now. Naru's involved in all this too and since you're in love with her, you might think twice before doing something that could hurt her."

"I see. You know about all of that." Near sighed. "I suppose it is quite possible for you and Mello to have been spying on us. You and he were always as thick as thieves. And yes I did wonder why an accomplice of Mello would be calling Naru. It is almost as if she was trying to hide something from me…" He trailed off, thinking hard.

_Perfect_, Matt thought to himself. He took a drag from his cigarette and decided that his tobacco had never tasted so sweet.

"Strange…" he went on, "I thought that she would've told you _everything._ After all, I'd say she, Mello, and I have been thought quite _a lot _together as of late."

"I will let Naru answer for that herself." He glanced over at her previously sleeping form and instead met with her startled gaze. Her eyes were wide open now as she lay quite still on her desk facing him and he suspected that she had heard much of the conversation.

"Phone call for you." He slowly lowered the phone from his ear and snapped it shut. "But I think I can just relay the message."

She could only stare back at him in horror.

"How long have you been in contact with Matt?" he asked her, the accusation evident in his tone.

"I-I…" This couldn't be happening. She had awoken to a nightmare.

"Two weeks." She finally admitted. "Please, I can explain."

"I wish you had told me." He frowned.

"I'm…sorry." It was all she could say. "I'm on your side, though, Near. Please don't think I'd betray you."

"I know that."

His trust in her gave Naru a sense of hope.

"Now…" he said, looking down somberly, "Tell me everything that has happened between the three of you."

_The three of us?_ Naru thought to herself, remembering how Near had mentioned Mello's name many times over the phone conversation but not understanding why Matt would've mentioned him at all unless...

She didn't get the chance to respond. The cell phone in Near's hand began to once again vibrate impatiently. Near tried not to look entirely pissed off by this but it was very hard.

"Do you want to answer it?" He asked, glancing at it briefly before handing it to her. "It is Matt again. Try not to be too upset with him for telling me. He is working with Mello after all so he is probably under enough stress as it is."

"He's been _what_?" Naru almost fell out of her chair. Her suspicions had been confirmed. Near studied her curiously.

"Yes. I thought you would have known, but apparently not. Now I _really_ cannot wait to hear about your adventures with them. You are not an easy person to convince of anything you know."

Naru shook her head back and forth in disbelief a few times before opening the cell phone. She bit her lip nervously as she put it to her ear.

"What?"

The person on the phone seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Speak, dammit! I know it's you, Matt!"

"H-Hey…Naru. I wasn't expecting you…"

"No. Of course not. You were expecting Near again." She sighed. "I know you're working for Mello, you lying bastard."

"Ah…so he told you."

"Damn straight he did. I don't want anything to do with either of you from now on, understand? Stay the hell away from me. I can't believe I thought you were my friend! You and Mello used me! Even setting up that kidnapping scene? I suppose you were just using me to find Near."

"Naru, please just give me a chance to explain." The desperation in his voice almost broke her resolve. She could tell just how much she was hurting him from the way his voice was cracking.

"No, you had you're chance. You two are nothing but criminals now in my eyes. Goodbye."

She hung up.

"I'm blocking his number…" She mumbled and Near nodded his head. He set his gaze back on her. All interruptions had ceased.

"Now where were we?"

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **Death Note belongs to Obata and Ohba who have very similar names...In short, I don't own Death Note or it's creators.

_A/N:_ Ah, Chapter 11! I'm very excited about this one. The plot is going to be very intense for a while and things are going to start changing, so watch out! I'll keep trying to update regularly, but I'm going on "vacation" for five weeks next Saturday. I'll still update, though. I just might be a bit more hectic. Anyway, thanks for reviewing and telling me how I did last time! Keep it up you guys!

Sharzade

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

The screen in front of Mello flashed a giant calligraphic "K."

"It's her."

"M, we are not far away from finding your whereabouts. You may have relocated, but rest assured we are still hot on your trail."

The synchronized voice scratched out its message to Mello. He ate his chocolate slowly, contemplating.

It had been fun messing with Naru, but now she meant business. She had become a major part of the Kira case and the SPK and was therefore now one of his most threatening enemies. He didn't bother to create a reply for her. There was no point.

A shuffling noise caught Mello's attention and he whipped his head around. Matt had skulked into the room, head hung as if he was walking to the gallows. Depression had quickly overcome him that day Naru had rejected his existence and had persisted and intensified over the past month. His melancholy state hung in the air around him like a bog.

"Matt. Stop sulking already, will you?"

Mello spun around in his chair and frowned. Matt raised his head slightly in recognition, his goggles fogged over from its damp occupants.

"Hn."

Dragging his feet over to an armchair, he sat down and wrapped his arms around his legs.

sniff sniff

"Oh for god's sake, Matt!" Mello shot out of his chair and barreled over to his moody friend. "Get a hold of yourself! It's only a girl!"

Matt reacted immediately to Mello's words and glared daggers at him.

"_She was not just a girl! She was __everything__!_"

If looks could kill, Mello would've died a rather painful death. He slowly backed away, shocked.

"S-Sorry…I ah, do you want your PSP or anything?"

"No. Nothing can console me now."

Not knowing what else he could do, Mello left the room in a bit of a hurry. Matt had turned into a weepy, useless individual who served no useful purpose of any kind. His situation was becoming hopeless.

As Mello walked down the long, dark hallway of the Mafia lair, he caught a glimpse of Matt's room through an open door.

There was paper everywhere, all over the floor and covering the furniture. Drawings of Naru had been torn up, reconstructed, and torn up again. Tidbits of poetry too gushy for Mello to even contemplate reading adorned the walls. And Matt's picture album from Wammy's house was open on his desk, Naru cut out of everything. Now her face laced every corner of his ceiling. She was all he saw at night.

_This is sick…_Mello thought to himself, disturbed. Matt was not only suffering from depression it would seem, but also obsession. He just couldn't make himself enter the room to investigate further, so he simply escaped to his own private quarters. He could always lose himself in his chocolate there with no one to complain about his habit.

He lay down on his bed, random half eaten chocolate bars staining the sheets. He picked one up and his mind set itself to work.

Matt was spiraling downhill, fast. Mello had never seen a boy act so…emotional before. Something had to be done immediately.

* * *

The boxes were packed and the equipment was gone. Everything was finally ready for the relocation of the SPK. Ever since that day Near discovered that Mello knew of their address, he had known that a relocation was inevitable. Unfortunately, preparing for such a thing had taken much longer than anticipated.

But today was the day everyone had been waiting for, for the last month.

The SPK was moving to Japan.

Naru, also known as K, was getting ready in her room for the big move. The past month had brought her and Near closer than ever. She loved the fact that there were absolutely no secrets between them anymore and the fact that Mello and Matt were out of her social life elated her. As Naru had listed each of the scenarios in which she had been put face to face with one or the other, or both of them, Near's analytical mind had immediately wrapped around each one and deciphered their meaning. And with the phone call Matt had made with his cell phone, Near had been able to trace the Mafia base location, only to find it deserted. No doubt they had been smart enough to evacuate immediately afterwards.

Having finished her packing, Naru collected her bags and suitcases and made her way outside. A limo was parked in the driveway waiting for her. The chauffeur, Gevanni, waited up front. She prayed that Near would be riding in the same limo as she was. Driving to the airport would be so boring without him.

She was just about to open the trunk of the limo to put her bags away when something familiar caught her eye. A pile of clothes were just laying on the side of the road to one side of the building. It appeared as if they had fallen out of her window somehow in her rush to get ready. They did _look _like her clothes.

Putting her bags down at the side of the vehicle, she ran around the side of the building to retrieve her belongings. She was surprised at how far back the clothes were. They had seemed so much closer from the limo…

Suddenly, a hand slammed over her mouth and pushed her against the wall. Naru found herself staring directly into the eyes of…Mello. His gun was pressed firmly to the side of her head and she struggled against him.

"Stop moving around so much!" Mello whispered furiously, barring his teeth at her. He dragged her over to a motorcycle parked at the back of the building, Naru resisted with all her might. She contemplated biting his hand for a moment, but decided to refrain from angering the man with the lethal weapon.

Mello pulled out a pair of long handcuffs from his pocket and chained himself to Naru before forcing her onto the motorcycle. He immediately rode off, gathering speed before she could try to protest again. Now that the gun wasn't pointing at her head, she screamed bloody murder. Too bad she was riding on a speeding motorcycle at the time, or someone might've thought she was actually in trouble.

"Shut up!" Mello yelled over the noise at her. His hair was hitting her in the face repeatedly as the rode, getting in Naru's eyes and mouth. She spat it out angrily.

"What the hell do you think you're _doing_? Get me off of this thing!" She banged her fists against his back in frustration but ceased the moment she found herself toppling backwards off the bike. Her hands snatched at the back of his jacket for dear life.

"What's wrong? I thought you _wanted_ to get off." He mocked. Naru snarled into his jacket and desperately tried to think of a way to get off the bike. It was going to be quite unlikely she would succeed, unfortunately, since they were handcuffed together.

"Take off the handcuffs! I won't try anything!" She lied, desperately. Mello only laughed.

"What? No way! I went through all this trouble to kidnap you. There's no way I'm letting you get the chance to escape!"

The bike made a sharp turn onto the highway and Naru struggled to stay upright without getting a better hold on him. To her relief, the bike righted itself before she had to take such drastic measures. The noise level slowly increased till all chance of conversation ceased. The bike was increasing speed and she had no desire to fall to her untimely death, so she reluctantly put her hands around his waist. She sighed, preparing for the long ride ahead.

* * *

Something shook her awake and she growled in protest. Her whole body was suddenly thrust forward and she fell onto her stomach. Before she knew what was happening, she found herself being dragged across the ground by her wrist.

"Smmtomph fit!" She mumbled, eating dirt.

"Are you awake yet? Come on! Don't make me get out my gun again!" Mello's voice. Her head shot up and she scampered backwards in fright, not making any distance with the chain.

"You!" She accused, remembering, "You kidnapped me!"

"It _would_ appear that way! Now get moving!" Mello tugged on the chain again and she stumbled forward.

"No!" He stopped dead in his tracks, his back to her, and slowly turned his head.

"What did you say?"

"I said _no_…" her voice cracked as she saw the expression on his face. He looked like he wanted to kill her. She didn't have time to think much on this, however, because he had stared to charge towards her.

It was all she could do just to keep away from him. He was the bull and she was the only red he could see. To her horror, she lost her footing before she had made it three feet and fell flat on her face.

Something heavy pushed down on her back – Mello's boot, most likely. Craning her neck around, she found herself staring down the barrel of Mello's gun.

"_Don't mess with me._" He threatened, face crazed. "Now get up before I have to use this thing!"

Naru slowly sat up, face frozen with a mix of shock and fear. He really meant business.

"God, you are so _slow_!" He complained. "What do I have to do to get you to move? _Carry you_?!"

That really got Naru moving. The last thing she wanted was this crazed lunatic picking her up and dragging her off to only god knows where. Not as if she really had a choice about the latter…she stood up with inhuman speed and scowled.

"Finally." Mello turned and started to walk again, Naru unwillingly trailing behind, cursing the person who had invented handcuffs and guns.

Wearily, she glanced up at the building Mello was dragging her off to. It was a fair size, perhaps four or five stories, but the walls were dilapidated and the metal trimmings were rusty. It was the perfect sort of building that a Hollywood producer would love to use in his latest horror movie. As they neared closer, Naru could make out the grime oozing from between some cracks and the filth that covered every inch of the building. The smell of it all made her want to vomit.

Mello punched some numbers into the security box outside the cracked glass door before leading her into the building. Once inside, the building seemed much worse than from a few seconds ago. Metal pipes ran along the walls and ceilings, occasionally dripping a thick, muddy sludge onto the dirty floor. One of the pipes dripped onto Naru's head and she shivered with revulsion. She didn't even want to _think_ about what was seeping into her hair just then.

Finally, Mello stopped in front of a random door along the hallway. Strange etch marks had been made across the length of it, spelling out obscene things. To her relief, he removed the handcuff from her wrist.

"You _better_ not try anything…" he warned her, reaching inside his jacket as if to get his gun out again, an empty threat. "Go inside. Don't just stand there."

She hesitated before doing as she was told and entered the unknown room. Mello locked the door behind her and she gulped. Looking around wasn't doing much good. The room was pretty dark save for one dim light in the corner…a light from what appeared to be some sort of game console. Matt, the boy who had betrayed her and destroyed their friendship was sitting less than four feet away from her.

She was now officially in hell.

* * *


End file.
